I think it's important to review efforts and figure out what to do better, so here goes.

What an interesting experience this was! 

It's been about five years since I did any regular exercise, and the 20 pounds I've gained shows it. All this year I've been telling myself I'm going to shape up my diet and starting to work out again. I set goals, set deadlines, and then do two workouts and little change to my diet. Fail after fail after fail.

I tried one other program, a six week Nerd Fitness challenge, and failed miserably. It did help me consider what my goals were, but as far as keeping me accountable to them, I just didn't have the motivation enough to do it. 

I have been verified for my current bet, but just barely. I did what I normally do -- reach a goal, and then instantly relapse into bad habits. Mostly booze and sugary foods. And so I just barely made this diet bet, by a few ounces. 

I've considered doing personal training sessions, with the thought that "hey, I'm paying for this, I better see results" -- but I know I'd tell myself the trainer is doing his job, I'm not doing mine. The opportunity to put some skin in the game, $30, meant I had to do my part, or I'd be kissing that $30 goodbye with nothing to show for it, and it'd be all my fault. 

The DB helped me see my goal, see my deadline, and make me stick to it. No more "I'll lose 5 pounds in a month" without consequences of not doing so. THAT, I think, was the biggest benefit to the DB. 

The next greatest thing I got out of this experience was the community. I've always been a "helper" -- going on message boards and trying to share what I've learned through research and experience. The DB game was a great way for me to be able to do that, but without me having to invest some serious time into it (unlike Nerd Fitness; which really encourages long-term participation in the community. I just got bored trying to tell everyone the same thing all the time.) I'm also a "sharer" -- and I liked being able to quickly post updates about my progress and when I worked out or not, and having people quick to show support back. 

For my next game, I'm going to focus on an 80/20 rule approach; shooting for 100%, but accepting 80% is still doing well -- but doing 20% is NOT acceptable and WILL put me close to the line between winning and losing the bet. And I do NOT want the stress of "omg I'm not going to make it!" three days before weigh-in again!

I am planning on taking a week off from DB games, but I do plan on doing another one (or four). Without a drop-dead deadline, it's clear I have no motivation to make healthy changes. Getting to my goal would be such a reward, and totally worth the time and work. And if I keep winning games, I get to enjoy some extra cash in my pocket too :)